Building Towards a Fourth Term
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I joined the Labour Party during the miners’ strike in 1984, due to the injustice of thosands of families losing their livelihoods. Unfortunately Labour was to spend a further 13 years out of office, losing four consecutive elections between 1979 and 1992. These were dark days for the party and all those opposed to the onslaught of Thatcherism. Many questioned whether a Labour government would ever be elected again.
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In three or four years time Labour will be seeking its own fourth term, an amazing achievement considering the above. Within the next 18 months, the most successful Labour Prime Minister in history will almost certainly step down to be replaced by the most successful Chancellor in history. We in the Grantham Labour Party will generally welcome this move. Tony Blair has made our party thoroughly electable and the government has many progressive achievements to its name; the minimum wage, tax credits for working families, record national investment in health and education, devolution for Scotland and Wales, to name a few.
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However, our party needs renewal from top to bottom, or it faces possible defeat in 2009/10. Far too many of our natural supporters stay at home due to disillusionment and the continuing open sore in Iraq. It can be argued that we won last year despite Blair; in terms of votes the election was close, and the Tories now have a far more voter friendly leader in David Cameron.
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Whilst we await the change in national leadership, we will campaign vigorously on local matters where we diverge from the national party. We will defend council housing in the SKDC stock transfer ballot to be held in the autumn. This is a scandalous sell off of public assets, for a knock down price, that will cost about £9 million before a penny is spent on improvements. It is semi-privitisation that attacks the concept of local democracy and accountability, without even publishing a business plan!
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Secondly, we will campaign strenuously against any further cuts at Grantham Hospital. Closure of A & E would undoubtedly see people dying in ambulances on the way to Lincoln, Boston or Nottingham. Local people simply will not tolerate this. We hugely welcome the massive investment that the government has put into the NHS since 1997- a three fold increase by 2008. However, we will continue to point out historic underfunding in Lincolnshire and rural areas generally, as the move towards urban ‘super hospitals’ continues unabated. We will also continue to apply pressure to a Trust Board that has displayed shocking financial incompetence, leading to a vote of no confidence by its own clinicians!
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Grantham Labour Party has vigorously renewed itself during the last few months, and we call for inactive members to become involved, and for those who have lapsed or resigned over points of principle to re-join us and play a part in reclaiming and renewing Labour around modern but progressive principles. We must campaign for a strong Labour voice on SKDC, with elections due next May. We must also build towards the next general election and play a part in achieving a truly remarkable fourth term of Labour government. I look forward to working with you.
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